Stylus Material
Stylus Material describes what the tip touching the record groove is made from.
Natural diamond forms in the Earth; Synthetic diamond is laboratory-grown, also called man-made. Both are diamond. Diamond (type not stated) leaves that origin unspecified. Sapphire is a different tip material.
Stylus Material — Cartridge
Material matters because the tip must resist wear as it follows the groove. The label alone cannot rank sound quality or guarantee a lifetime: construction, care and setup also matter.
Keep it separate from profile, the tip’s shape, and mounting: a nude tip is one piece; a bonded tip sits on a metal shank. Nude does not mean natural diamond. The cantilever is the supporting arm; a sapphire cantilever does not establish a sapphire tip. When tip and cantilever are cut from one diamond, the tip is still diamond.
Sources
- Cartridge-making Dictionary — Audio-Technica
- Why Diamond Matters — Ortofon
- AT-MCD1 construction — Audio-Technica
- Stylus lifetime and care — Ortofon